# License

> Activate Proxus with a key, read what your license allows, watch each gateway's capacity, and deactivate a license before you move it.

Source: https://proxus.io/docs/administer/license

At the end of this guide, the hub runs with an active license and you know how much of it each edge gateway uses.

## Before you start

- Sign in with a user that has the **Administrators** role.
- To activate: a license key from Proxus or your distributor, issued for this installation's **License ID**.

> **Tip:**
Request an evaluation key, or see Proxus on your data in a 30-minute session.

[Get a free 30-day trial key](/try#licence) · [Book a demo](/demo)

## What a license contains

A Proxus license sets these entitlements:

| Entitlement | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| **Production gateways** | How many edge gateways may run, the hub's own **SYSTEM** gateway included. |
| **Capacity tier** | The size of each gateway: how many values per second it may pass on. The tiers and their rates are on [Pricing](/pricing). |
| **Sustained data points/sec (per gateway)** | Values per second a gateway may pass on all the time. |
| **Burst data points (per gateway, ~3 s)** | A short reserve above the sustained rate, for peaks. |
| **White Labeling** | Whether you may show your own title and logo. See [White labeling](https://proxus.io/docs/administer/white-labeling). |

The license also has an expiry date. It is checked on the hub against a signature, so checking it needs no
internet connection. To ask for a license, a larger tier or an extension, use the
[contact form](/contact?topic=evaluation) or ask your distributor. On a network without internet access, see
[Install without internet access](https://proxus.io/docs/operate/offline-install#step-5-activate-the-license).

## Activate a license

When the hub has no valid license (a new installation, an expired license), the **License Activation** window opens
after you sign in.

1. Copy the **License ID** with **Copy** and send it to Proxus or your distributor. The key they send back works
   only for this ID.
2. Paste the key into **License key**.
3. Tick **I have read and accept the End User License Agreement**.
4. Select **Activate License**.

Select **Sign out** to leave the window without activating.

> **Note:**
The **License ID** is made from the hub's host and its configuration volume. If you move Proxus to another machine,
the ID can change and the old key is refused with "This key was issued for another installation". Ask for a new key
for the new ID.

## Read your entitlement and live capacity

Go to **Platform > License Info**. The window shows the capacity tier and the expiry date at the top.

*Screenshot: The License Info window with the License Entitlement table, the Live Capacity table and the Deactivate License button marked*

1. **License Entitlement**: what the license allows. **License status** is **V2** for a current license.
2. **Live Capacity (per gateway)**: for every running gateway, its **Health**, the values per second it passes on
   now (**Observed dp/s**) against the licensed rate, the burst reserve left, and how many values it accepted and
   rejected since it started.
3. **Deactivate License** removes the license from this hub.

**Health** is **Healthy** below 70 % of the sustained rate, **Warning** from 70 %, **Critical** from 90 %, and
**Exceeded** when the gateway has rejected values. **Stale** means the hub has had no report from that gateway
recently. Until a gateway reports, the table says it is waiting for the edge gateway heartbeat.

## What happens at the limits

| Limit | What Proxus does |
| --- | --- |
| Number of gateways reached | **New** and **Clone** are not available on the edge gateway list. A gateway above the limit is not started, and a "License limit" warning is logged. |
| A gateway reads more than its sustained rate | It uses its burst reserve. When the reserve is empty, it drops the values above the limit. They are counted in **Total rejected**, and **Health** shows **Exceeded**. |
| License expired or invalid | The **License Activation** window opens at sign-in with the reason. Users cannot work until a valid key is activated. |
| An edge gateway gets no license from the hub | The gateway stops if the hub does not send it a license within five minutes of starting. |

> **Warning:**
Values dropped above the licensed rate are not stored, published or sent to outbound targets. If **Total rejected**
grows, read fewer tags or read them less often, spread devices over more gateways, or ask for a larger capacity
tier.

## Deactivate a license

Deactivate a license when you retire an installation or move the license to another one.

1. Open **Platform > License Info**.
2. Select **Deactivate License** and confirm with **Deactivate**.

The license is removed and you are signed out. Licensed features stop until a license is activated again.

## What's next

- [Watch capacity and health over time](https://proxus.io/docs/operate/monitoring)
- [Manage edge gateways](https://proxus.io/docs/connect/edge-gateways/manage-gateways)